


Dollar Store Ring

by littleleeds



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, M/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-02
Updated: 2013-01-02
Packaged: 2017-11-23 09:17:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/620526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littleleeds/pseuds/littleleeds
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU in which management forces Elounor to get engaged, and they announce it at Louis' charity football match. Harry reacts and a fight ensues between him and Louis. Fluff by the end.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dollar Store Ring

“What the hell is on her finger, Lou?” A raspy voice echoed through the empty locker room and Louis cringed, throwing his jersey over his head. He knew Harry wasn’t happy about the fake engagement rumors that management had been throwing around; he had tried his best to be as supportive of Harry as he could. Louis threw himself into their relationship, touching him whenever he could and sneaking kisses at the worst times just to piss management off. There was only so much that was in his control. Sitting on the bench, Louis resigned himself to waiting for his boyfriend to find him. When he did, his breathing was unsteady and his cheeks were a shade of pink that Louis couldn’t help but admire from afar. He tilted his head and pushed his fringe to the side, sighing helplessly. He didn’t know how he could possibly comfort his boyfriend this time; Louis had never seen Harry this upset. He pressed his palms to his thighs and pushed himself up, off the bench in between the rows of lockers. Taking a step toward his still huffing boyfriend, Louis tried to ease the tension as he slid his arms up his boyfriend’s sides, gripping his shoulders and rubbing into them gently. He looked upon his boyfriend with a mixture of pity and misplaced guilt. Although it was out of his control, the guilt was overwhelming as he saw Harry’s emerald eyes glossed over with the makings of tears. Louis pressed his lips together and commented, “You should probably stop smoking fags, love. Seems to be affecting your health.” Louis motioned towards Harry’s heaving chest, which was dramatically slowing pace now that Harry was no longer tearing through the lockers searching for his boyfriend.

A lone tear escaped from the outer corner of Harry’s eye, and he wiped away quickly with his finger, his mouth outstretching as if he was passing it off as a yawn. Louis knew better, of course. He stroked Harry’s cheek gently, going from his jaw bone until he cradled the side of the younger boy’s head in his right hand. Louis rubbed his thumb in small circles on the surface of Harry’s cheek and leaned in slowly, wanting to kiss him until he could no longer feel the pain that Louis knew he was struggling to contain. He realized how close Harry was to breaking. He watched as he desperately grasped as anything to rebel against management, cover his arm and torso in tattoos because that’s just about the only loophole that Harry had managed to find in their contract with Modest!. Louis wanted to move his lips to their rightful place on Harry’s, moving in sync until the world faded around them. He wanted to get the release that only kissing Harry could give him. Louis just wanted to blur the lines for a moment, and get away from it all.

Harry, however, had other plans. 

Although younger, Harry towered over his boyfriend. At first, his head instinctively fell into Louis’ hand, letting him caress his skin and distract him from the nausea that had overtaken him and left a sour taste in his mouth all morning. After reveling in the magic that was ingrained in Louis’ simple touch, Harry snapped back into reality and moved his arm up, catching Louis’ forearm in his wide palm. He pushed it away from him as if it was a hand that had struck him. He shook his head, running his fingers through his already messy curls which screamed, ‘I rolled out of bed,’ but actually were a product of, ‘I spent the morning sobbing in my bed because my boyfriend is engaged to his beard.’ Harry took a step backward, leaning against the lockers for support as he continued to shake his head and finally, move his lips slightly to form a mumbled, “No, Lou.” He looked up from the spot he had been staring at on the cement floor, where he was following a crack up the aisles of lockers. Locking eyes with his boyfriend, he licked his lips and remained silent, a few more tears making their escape from his glassy, bloodshot eyes. Swallowing hard against the lump in his throat, Harry made a point to speak more clearly and defiantly as Louis made a move to reach out to him again, “No! Louis, stop.” He waved his hands in protesting motion, but Louis couldn’t help but feel that his eyes were crying out that he wanted to be enveloped in Louis’ slightly muscled arms. Clearing his throat, Harry redirected his thoughts and repeated himself, “What is on her finger?” 

Louis was tormented momentarily with the decision on how he was going to break the news to the love of his life, that his fake “temporary solution” relationship, seemed to be becoming more and more permanent. He sighed and fell back onto the bench he was sitting on previously, letting his hands fall into his lap and his head hang as he sat quietly, searching his mind for a better way to explain than what it actually was. He scavenged his thoughts to no avail. “I’m so sorry, Hazza,” he whispered pathetically, knotting his fingers together and acting as though his eyes were fascinated by this and not dying to lock onto his love’s bright, playful ones. He scolded himself within his mind, reminding himself that Harry’s eyes were glassy and filled with tears and it was his own fault. He had been the one who had agreed to date Eleanor. They had fought and fought about it for weeks before they decided, and ultimately it was still never 100% agreed upon. ‘Harry is being selfish,’ he had told himself, ‘I’m making a sacrifice for the good of our relationship. For the band. I’m doing what’s best for everyone.’ Now, he didn’t feel as though this was the best for anyone at all.

Harry nodded as if to say, ‘Is that all?’ and slammed his fist into the locker, letting a grunt of frustration out as Louis jumped, but remained silent. He accepted his boyfriend’s anger for what is was. He deserved it, after all. Harry slammed his fist again and again, making Louis cringe and his eyes fill with tears as the younger boy’s body became overwhelmed with sobs and he collapsed to the floor in a heap of shaking shoulders and wet eyes. Louis slid to the floor immediately, enveloping his boyfriend in his arms and pressing soft kisses against his curls. Harry let himself fall apart in Louis’ arms and mumbled unintelligible things against the skin of his forearm. Petting Harry’s chocolate curls, Louis nudged him gently, “What, Haz?” He cupped the younger boy’s face, forcing his tear-filled eyes to meet Louis’. He pressed kisses where he could see that tears had slid down his cheeks, and tasted the salty tears on his lips as he murmured to Harry, telling him to talk to him and calling him sweet pet names as his own tears fell down his face and mixed with Harry’s against his lips and across his strong jaw. 

The younger boy shook his head, untangling himself from his boyfriend wiping his tears away, sniffling quietly to himself. He leaned his back against the lockers against and his shoulders shrugged in defeat, as if to surrender, and his lips seemed to not move when he said, “I can’t do this anymore, Lou.” The words choked in his throat as another sob wrecked his body and he looked back up into Louis’ eyes, that were such a deep blue Harry felt himself begin to get lost. He broke the contact before he got too distracted and looked towards the doors of the stadium. This was Louis’ day, and Eleanor had ruined it. They had been looking forward to this day for months, and Louis had been so excited. Harry had supported him and told him over and over about how this was his day, and it was all about him. Tomorrow, in the tabloids, she will have taken it over. It won’t be about how Louis played, or the money he raised or all the wonderful things he had done; it will be all about Eleanor and her engagement to a member of the biggest boy band in the world. It made Harry’s wave of nausea hit him like a tsunami, and he almost gagged through his sobs.

Louis recoiled as though he’d been slapped, and had no way of responding. He felt as though all the wind had been knocked from him as his tears immediately stopped, and he sat in shock. His mouth fell open with a small pop, and his eyes were almost too swollen to keep open, but he refused to go down without a fight. Harry had come into his life like a burst of fresh air exactly when everything was changing, and helped him adjust to the new life that they took on together, from the very beginning. Louis struggled to get his thoughts formed into coherent sentences, but he cleared his throat and started speaking in a broken, raspy, whisper. His throat was raw from the crying, but he forced through and made himself speak; Louis wanted to make sure his heart was all in before Harry threw everything they had worked for away. “Eleanor is not you, Harry..” He held up his hand when Harry opened his mouth to retort, and continued, “I love you. That means that I will always love you. It means that I love who you are, who have been, and that I want to be here to see who you become, so I can love you then too. It means that I love what you say, and the way you say it. It means that your scars and your triumphs are one in the same, and that you are a part of me. I love you means that we may be in this shit storm together,” he laughed ironically, exasperated as he thought of the thought of the trials that they’ve faced, and they probably will continue to face, “but I’d rather go through it together than never have you. I love you means that I won’t let you go, and that I was holding on before I even knew what I was holding onto.” Louis reached for Harry’s hand and memorized the feeling of his skin, and the lines that were ingrained in his palm. He pressed his lips to his fingertips and sighed miserably, “I would never intentionally hurt you, Hazza, but even when I do I promise you I will hurt with you until it’s all gone. I love you means there will never be anyone else compared to you, and that there never was. I love you means that I was looking for you before I even knew who you were. It’s not just three words anymore, Harry. I love you is a promise that you are mine, and I am yours. Forev-” He was interrupted by the most beautiful lips pressing against his own in a hungry kiss laced with passion. He smiled against his lips, and entangled his fingers in Harry’s curls. This was where he was meant to be, and he had never been more sure of anything in all his life.


End file.
